Houthi strikes against a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait killed six people and injured 10 others, in the first deadly attacks against commercial vessels in the region since the start of the Iran war.
According to BBC News, Houthi rebels hit the Egyptian-owned Tihamah cargo ship with three ballistic missiles. The strike caused a fire on board the ship, killing three Pakistani crew members, and one Indonesian. Yemen's coast guard reported that a second missile strike targeted at rescuers then killed two more people, while injuring three coast guard personnel who were attempting to rescue the crew.
In a statement released after the attacks, Houthis claimed that the Tihamah was carrying military cargo for Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has since asserted that the ship was carrying food, and described the strikes as an escalation on the part of the Houthis.
The rebel group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in late July, over accusations that the Saudis had backed Yemen's internationally-recognized government in the bombing of an airport runway to block the landing of a plane carrying a Houthi delegation.
